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Health Watch - Starting Summer: Handling Heat

Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.

This week on Health Watch, we’re talking about getting ready for the traditional start of the summer season with Memorial Day weekend. Depending on where you live, even if the calendar says it’s still not officially summer, the thermometer may be showing summer temperatures. Are you ready for the summer heat?

If you work in an air-conditioned building and live in an air-conditioned home, you may be more vulnerable to the heat when you decide to spend a weekend afternoon outdoors. Dr. Paul Pepe, chief of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says it used to be the very young or very old who couldn’t fend for themselves who landed in the emergency room with heat-related illnesses. But these days, it tends to be younger people who don’t become acclimated to the heat before being active outdoors. One of the best ways to protect yourself from heat-related illnesses is staying hydrated. Drink plenty of water – not caffeinated beverages or alcohol.

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May 2011

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